Hatred erupted in the depths of Nagato's heart like a rising tide.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed solely on the man calling himself "Madara Uchiha"—the man who was, in reality, Obito Uchiha.
How ridiculous. How pathetic.
How loathsome!
Nagato thought of the man in his memories, the one who had always stood before him and guided his path. His heart ached with an unbearable grief. If it hadn't been for Obito Uchiha, none of this would have happened!
He wouldn't have spent years dragging a crippled body through the shadows. Under Yahiko's leadership, they would have become the hope and the backbone of the entire Land of Rain. Even Konan would have...
"Obito Uchiha!"
In his towering rage, Nagato unleashed a terrifying surge of chakra. The earth trembled, and the very air seemed to wail in agony! He slammed his hands together.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
In an instant, the entirety of Hozuki Castle shook! Countless giant trees erupted from the ground, surging toward Obito like a wooden sea.
Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha was submerged in a sea of pain no less profound than Nagato's. Everything he had done up to this point had been a lie. He was nothing more than a pawn in Madara Uchiha's hand.
For the sake of a false, dreamlike world, he had personally murdered his teacher and his teacher's wife. Recalling that scene now, he felt as if ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart.
"Fake... it's all fake..." Obito murmured to himself.
The image of that pure, angel-like girl surfaced in his mind.
"As I thought... this reality truly is a hell of suffering."
"A world like this... just let it be destroyed..."
At this point, Obito could no longer shed a single tear. His heart was deader than ashes.
Knowing that the Eye of the Moon Plan—for which he had sacrificed everything—was merely a conspiracy by Black Zetsu to revive the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya Otsutsuki, Obito had fallen into total despair regarding this absurd reality. If before he could pin his hopes on the beautiful dream created by the plan, now he had nothing left to hold onto.
Destruction.
Destroy this ridiculous world.
A terrifying thought took root in Obito's heart.
"Orochimaru..."
As Nagato's Deep Forest Emergence was about to reach him, Obito turned his gaze toward the sallow-faced man.
"As the one who used Reanimation on Rin... you must die."
With a vacant, cold expression that disregarded everything, Obito began walking toward Orochimaru step by step.
"Heh, you're a clown," Orochimaru sneered. "You thought you were the one using others, only to find out you were someone else's pawn all along. Scum like you thinks they can kill me? Ridiculous."
Orochimaru looked at Obito with mockery and immediately began weaving hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"
He slammed his palm onto the ground. Instantly, three coffins rose from the earth!
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the sight. He recognized that chakra. It was all too familiar.
As one of the coffins was kicked open from the inside, a familiar voice rang out.
"Is there no end to this?! Every single time, I'm being brought back with Reanimation! Don't you people have anything better to do with your lives?!"
Tobirama Senju's grumbling form came into view, causing Kakashi's eye to twitch. By his count, this was the third time Tobirama had been reanimated.
"Now, now... I told you, Tobirama, you really should fix that habit of researching Forbidden Jutsu."
Another familiar voice echoed. Unsurprisingly, it was Hashirama Senju.
"Where's Kakashi?! What on earth is that brat doing?! Didn't we unify the shinobi world? Why are there still so many problems?!"
As the dust cleared, two men wearing Warring States-era armor—one in red and one in blue—appeared before everyone.
"You calling for me?" Kakashi called out from a distance, giving Tobirama a casual wave.
Tobirama looked at Kakashi in silence before scanning the surroundings. He realized the situation was a bit unusual. He glanced back at the man who had summoned him. It was Orochimaru, just like the last time he was reanimated.
"Long time no see, Kakashi! Hahahaha!" Hashirama laughed, scratching his head as he looked toward him.
Kakashi ignored Hashirama and Tobirama for a moment, focusing instead on the third person.
The man wore the standard Konoha Jonin uniform under a flickering flame-patterned Hokage cloak. He had golden hair, bright blue eyes, and a handsome face...
"It's been a while, Kakashi."
The man looked at his former student and spoke with a gentle smile.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!
"Yeah, it's been a while, Sensei," Kakashi replied, his expression softening slightly.
"Lord Hokages, the target this time is a rebel of the Leaf and the mastermind behind all of this. You could say I'm giving you a chance to clean up your own house," Orochimaru said with a smirk, taking a few steps back.
This Reanimation was different from the usual ones. Though the sacrifices were prepared in advance, they were also infused with a massive amount of Hashirama's cells. As a result, Hashirama Senju's current power was at nearly ninety percent of what it had been when he was alive.
Even so, Orochimaru remained confident that he could forcibly control Hashirama. Using the cells he had spent the last three years replicating from Kakashi, he believed his control was absolute. In Orochimaru's eyes, what was Hashirama compared to the current Kakashi?
The experiment involving Kagura—who had also been created using Kakashi's cells—might not have been as strong as he imagined, but that was just a temporary setback. Experiments were always accompanied by errors. Orochimaru was certain that, with the Kakashi cells he had transplanted into himself, he could control a ninety-percent-power Hashirama.
Hashirama clenched his fist, glanced at Orochimaru, then at the approaching Obito Uchiha. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
This guy actually dared to restore my strength to this level?
While he didn't know who the approaching Uchiha was, Hashirama knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was. Therefore, compared to Obito, Hashirama's primary target was...
In an instant, the ground beneath Hashirama shattered as he vanished!
Orochimaru watched with a smile, expecting to see the Senju brothers engage Obito. Instead, an inescapable hand suddenly clamped firmly around his throat! It happened so fast that Orochimaru didn't even have time to react.
"As an opportunist who once tried to destroy the Leaf, your credibility is non-existent in my eyes, young man."
Hashirama's dark eyes stared at Orochimaru with blatant killing intent.
As the First Hokage, he had been willing to kill his own best friend for the sake of the village. In his eyes, Orochimaru's decision to lift the restrictions on his power was nothing short of idiocy.
"What?!"
Feeling the hand on his neck like an iron vice, Orochimaru's expression changed drastically. He tried to use the Kakashi cells in his body to trigger the Reanimation control, but there was no response! It was as if the Kakashi cells were merely superior to a normal person's—they certainly didn't surpass Hashirama's.
"Who are you?"
Tobirama didn't pay any mind to Hashirama's actions. Instead, he looked at the approaching Obito. That scent... there was no mistake, he was an Uchiha.
"Is that... Obito?" Minato asked, sounding uncertain as he watched the man walk toward them.
Though the face was similar to the student in his memories, Minato remembered Obito Uchiha dying. He shouldn't have grown into the adult standing before him.
Obito looked at the familiar golden figure. His footsteps faltered, and he looked at Minato with a complex expression.
No matter what... this world is too cruel. Only destruction is truth.
Sensei... if you're dead, then stay dead. Dying early is better than living in this painful world. For you, it should be considered a blessing.
At this point, Obito had truly descended into madness. To him, this world of suffering would only end when everyone was dead.
Suddenly, Nagato's attack arrived!
An endless sea of trees surged forward, threatening to swallow Obito, Tobirama, Hashirama, Minato, and Orochimaru all at once.
Watching the "dog-eat-dog" brawl between Obito, Orochimaru, and Nagato, Kakashi lost interest. He expanded his sensory range to search for Black Zetsu. Let those three tear each other apart.
However, Orochimaru's boldness in restoring Hashirama to nearly his full peak strength had surprised Kakashi. Is that guy tired of living?
Kakashi didn't dwell on Orochimaru's survival instincts for long; he had found Black Zetsu. Sensing the danger, Black Zetsu had already fled into the depths of Hozuki Castle. But the castle was situated in the middle of the ocean—there was nowhere to run. Even his signature Mayfly technique was useless over the sea. He had only one way out.
Currently, Nagato, Orochimaru, Obito, Kakashi, and the forces of the Three Great Sages were all locked in a chaotic battle. Only by making the situation even more chaotic would he have a chance to escape!
Hozuki Castle held a treasure from the Sage of the Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, dating back a thousand years: the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Inside was the ancient demon, Satori.
Release it. Let the waters get even muddier!
Black Zetsu transformed into a pool of black mud, completely enveloping the house-sized Box of Ultimate Bliss as he began to undo the seal.
Kakashi had already pinpointed Black Zetsu's location. He was heading there to finish him when he caught sight of the three Snake Princesses from Ryuchi Cave trying to slip away in the chaos.
Without a shred of mercy, Kakashi swung his blade. A brilliant white arc of energy—the Daylight Blade—erupted like fire on oil, instantly surrounding them.
"P-Please, Your Majesty!"
Ichigushimahime dropped to her knees, putting on a pitiful, lovely front to beg for mercy. But before she could finish her sentence, the white blade light severed her head.
These three didn't possess a technique like Kamui. Facing Kakashi's attack, they couldn't even hope to resist, let alone dodge. In an instant, the three snakes in human form were dead. Kakashi didn't even spare them a second glance as he walked away.
Entering the main tower of Hozuki Castle, he encountered a white-haired woman: Kagura.
Looking at the man who had just slaughtered the Snake Princesses without a moment's hesitation, Kagura stood aside and silently made a path for him.
Suddenly, a hand clamped tightly around her throat, lifting her high into the air. Kagura seemed to have expected this; her hands instinctively gripped the wrist choking her.
"You were one of those involved in killing Itachi, weren't you?"
There was no pity in Kakashi's eyes.
"I... I was... f-forced..."
Kagura gasped for air, but the hand around her neck only tightened.
Forced?
Kakashi had no intention of arguing with her. A kill was a kill. There was no need for excuses. Itachi Uchiha had served him faithfully for years, even betraying Fugaku Uchiha for his sake. Kakashi had seen it all.
With a sickening crack, Kagura's life ended. Kakashi tossed her aside like trash over the side of the tower and continued inside.
Suddenly, the floor beneath him began to vibrate. Kakashi frowned. This wasn't Nagato's Deep Forest Emergence. This was...
With the collapse of more than half the tower, a massive, pitch-black figure soared into the sky!
"Hahahaha! World, I have returned!"
A roar that sounded barely human echoed through Hozuki Castle. Everyone involved in the battle stopped and looked up at the silhouette.
The creature was pitch black with a pair of wings and thick, powerful limbs that looked out of place on its hunched torso. Most bizarrely, it had no head; instead, a hideous, terrifying maw gaped open from its chest.
The emergence of Satori brought the battles between Nagato's group and the Three Great Sages—Katsuyu, the White Snake Sage, and Gamamaru—to a sudden halt.
Katsuyu, looking somewhat disheveled, immediately found Kakashi.
"That is Satori, Lord Kakashi," Katsuyu explained, acting as a living encyclopedia. "It was something sealed by the Sage of the Six Paths a thousand years ago. It possesses the ability to read hearts. Anyone with killing intent toward it will find it impossible to land a hit. It is a very troublesome creature."
"I see," Kakashi nodded. He already knew this.
Currently, the battlefield included Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, the White Snake Sage, the Great Toad Sage, Obito Uchiha, Nagato, and Orochimaru. In such a chaotic situation, even Satori couldn't hold its own. It was more likely that its status as a demon would cause everyone to turn their blades against it.
Kakashi had no interest in wasting energy on Satori. He just wanted to find Black Zetsu. He could sense him right beneath the tower.
"Lord Kakashi, you didn't even come to help me just now..." Katsuyu said in a low, pained tone when she saw Kakashi simply moving forward.
Kakashi's lip twitched. Even back when he first made the contract with Shikkotsu Forest, he had noticed Katsuyu had a bit of a "damsel" act going on.
"Lady Katsuyu, the mastermind behind all of this is a remnant left behind by Kaguya Otsutsuki. I need to take this opportunity to deal with him once and for all."
Kakashi stopped and patiently explained. Regardless of her personality, Katsuyu was one of his strongest allies. With both Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myoboku standing against him, Katsuyu had remained firmly on his side. For that loyalty alone, Kakashi couldn't be too cold toward her.
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